1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a one-coat and one-package type coating material and resin flakes used for finishing concrete surfaces or mortar surfaces of walls and floors of a building, and board surfaces for various architectures into variegated patterns of granite tone.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Out of techniques of coating materials used to finish walls, floors and the like, there are about four kinds of techniques for finishing them similar to granite patterns as follows.
According to the first technique, crushed grains of granite or other crushed grains of natural stone themselves having a particle diameter of approximately 3 to 8 mm are mixed with resins which are turned to be almost transparent when dried or set to provide a one-package type (when executed) colorful pattern coating material of natural stone tone. This colorful pattern coating material is mainly finished with one coat using a trowel.
According to the second technique, natural or artificial multi-color aggregates having a wide distribution of particle diameter whose particle diameter is about 5 mm or less are mixed with resins which are turned to be almost transparent when dried or set to provide a one-package type colorful pattern coating material. This colorful pattern coating material is finished with one coat by way of spray coat or trowel coat.
According to the third technique, two colors or three colors which are separated in each package of the colorful pattern coating material as described in the second technique, which is prepared so that color when dried or set is similar to color of a natural granite component, are used. This technique is to form a colorful pattern of granite tone by three to four coats by using a multi-package type coating material for finishing the surfaces of walls into a colorful pattern by the special procedure comprising: first, spraying one color of natural stone base-tone on the whole surface, repeat-spraying (splash) another one color or two colors partly before the first-mentioned one color is dried, and repeat-spraying (return) one color of base-tone partly before these one color or two colors are dried.
According to the fourth technique, the coating materials of two colors or three colors of the coating materials as described in the third technique are simultaneously sprayed using a special sprayer of a double nozzle or a triple nozzle type to thereby form a colorful pattern of natural granite tone.
Among these techniques, the first technique has a long history. If the color of the crushed grains of the natural stone is similar to that of the component of granite, it is possible to obtain a colorful pattern similar to natural granite. The application is simple, and the finish is even and stable. However, since the crushed grains of the natural stone themselves are used as a color pattern material, all the shapes of the color pattern are roundish, independent, and nearly in the form of grains, (Hard aggregates are difficult to be coated unless they are in the form of grains which are all roundish in terms of properties of the trowel-coat operation.), thus failing to obtain irregularity in shape and random in size of a color pattern of the component of natural granite, and a pattern in which color patterns are intertwined.
Further, the trowel-coat material comprised of heavy aggregates and resins of this kind requires both excellent ductility by a trowel and viscosity to the extent that aggregates do not fall. Thus, the thickness of one coat is limited to about 8 mm, and accordingly, the size of aggregates is also limited to about 8 mm (In case of trowel-coat, aggregates having the size exceeding the coating thickness cannot be used.). Accordingly, it is not possible to expect the finish close to the pattern of natural granite having a color pattern of component larger in size than the above.
In the second technique, the size of aggregates is about 5 mm at its maximum in terms of properties of spray coat (When aggregates having the size larger than the above are used, they often drop when the coating material is sprayed, and the film surface is excessively rough.). Accordingly, only in the case of granite in which the color pattern of the component is very small, a colorful pattern of similar granite tone can be finished. However, the small color pattern of component will not be a pattern of granite often used.
In the third technique, if more than two persons extremely highly skilled in spraying art can be simultaneously secured and if application is done at the construction site in favorable conditions such as simpleness of scaffolding and wall surfaces to be applied, the size of the color pattern is considerably free and the finish bears some resemblance to the color pattern of natural granite. However, the colors of component are apt to be excessively mixed together in terms of properties of the repeat-coat, failing to obtain a sharp color pattern peculiar to the natural granite.
Further, in the actual execution site, talented men are limited, and narrowness and unstableness of the scaffolding, complicatedness of the shape of the wall surfaces to be applied are involved. In addition, colors of required coating materials are separated into separate containers, which should be prepared at once and on the same scaffolding nearly at execution time (There is a spray unit which coating material is passed through the hose by pressure, which however, requires a high cost.). Moreover, the application steps require 3 to 4 coats which are complicated. Accordingly, particularly, in the execution for a large area, it is very seldom to provide a uniformly finished pattern without uneven pattern.
The fourth technique is to improve the complicatedness and particularity of the spraying operation carried out in the third technique by devising the sprayer. However, the quality of the finish by the double nozzle type sprayer is inferior to that of the third technique. In the case where the triple nozzle type sprayer is used, the size and shape of the color pattern are generally free to obtain the finish considerably close to the pattern of the natural granite as compared with the first and third techniques but the colors of the component are apt to be excessively mixed together similar to the third technique, failing to obtain a sharp color pattern peculiar to the natural granite.
Moreover, since the colors of the required materials are separated into separate containers, the step of gathering colors in a single sprayer having three nozzles requires a great cost. In addition, the sprayer unavoidably becomes precise and bulky. Accordingly, in adjustment and handling of apparatus and in spraying technique, technicians highly skilled as compared with the third technique are required.
Further, with respect to the stableness and width of the scaffolding and the simpleness of the wall surfaces to be applied, more favorable conditions than the third technique are required. Accordingly, particularly, in large-area and high-story buildings, it is very seldom, as compared with the third technique, to provide an uniform-pattern finish without unevenness in finish.
As the coating finishing technique for forming a colorful pattern, the following techniques can be mentioned unless a finished appearance is limited to granite tone.
According to the fifth technique, a multi-phase coating of suspension type of gelatinous colored grains as defined in JIS K-5667 (multicolor paints) is used. Mainly for the finish of interior wall, a splash pattern of colored grains is formed easily and uniformly without unevenness by way of one spray coat or brush coat.
According to the sixth technique, fiber waste of various colors, cotton, torn paper, perlite, vermiculite, wooden pieces, extremely thin plastic pieces, etc., generally called fiber wall material, are mixed with a binder of cellulose powder which is soluble in water. The resultant mixture is mixed with water when in use. Then, a colorful pattern is formed by way of one trowel coat mainly for interior finish.
According to the seventh technique, a plastic sheet, which has a thickness of about 0.5 to 1.0 mm, is colored with a pigment, is apt to be broken and is even in thickness, is physically crushed to obtain crushed plastic pieces which are irregular in shape of the size less than about 30 mm and random in size. The resultant plastic pieces of a few colors are scattered on the colored adhesive having a concealing force precoated on the surface to be executed in so large amount as to cover more than the whole surface of the adhesive (Even if the crushed plastic pieces are scattered in the large amount, there necessarily occurs a part in which the crushed plastic pieces are not adhered to the adhesive, and therefore, it is necessary for the adhesive to provide with color and the concealing force.).
The excessive crushed pieces not adhered to the adhesive are allowed to naturally drop in case of the wall surfaces and are attracted and removed by a vacuum cleaner after the adhesive has been set in case of the floor surface. The levitated portion in which the crushed plastic pieces are superposed to each other, which necessarily occurs in terms of technique, is scraped off by a scraper. A difference in level between the crushed pieces after being scraped off is smoothed by sand paper, after which a transparent resin is coated. In this technique, at this time, some crushed pieces not sufficiently adhered are again levitated, and re-sanding is applied thereto. Accordingly, a transparent resin is again coated to provide a colorful finish.
However, the coating material used for the fifth technique is of the suspension type in liquid of gelatinous colored grains. Therefore, naturally there is a limitation in the size and shape of the colored grains. The size of the colored grains is about 7 mm at its maximum, and the shape unavoidably results in the roundish shape. This is the best work which rules the time as a mere colorful pattern coating material but cannot be variegated patterns of granite tone as intended by the present invention.
According to the sixth technique, variegated patterns of granite tone according to the present invention cannot be obtained in terms of properties of aggregates used.
Further, the seventh technique is common to the present invention in a single point that the thin pieces are used as a pattern forming material. However, since this technique is a mere technique for forming a colorful pattern, the thin pieces will merely suffice to be ones having various colors, shapes and sizes. Accordingly, a plastic sheet having a uniform thickness colored with a pigment, which can be easily molded by the general plastic molding technique should have breakable properties so that it can be manually crushed into thin peaces of suitable size. Therefore, the plastic peaces have breakable properties to be smaller. This is rather suitable for removing the portion which is the portion where the thin pieces are superposed to each other to which adhesive is not adhered, when the thin pieces are spread on the adhesive, by a scraper or sanding for smoothing a difference in level between the superposed portions.
That is, the thin pieces according to this technique are characterized in that they are breakable, and are of the scattering type to the utmost, which is incompatible with the technical idea of the present invention as being mixed with a binder.
The thickness of the thin pieces according to this technique is uniform, about 0.5 to 1.0 mm, which thickness should not be above or below the just-mentioned thickness for due reason. That is, when the thickness of the thin piece is excessively thin, the thin piece is apt to be broken, and since thin pieces are adhered to the adhesive without being superposed to each other, the thickness of the film is also excessively thin. Conversely, when the thickness is excessively thick, a difference in level between the superposed portions of the thin pieces becomes large, thus requiring a great cost in sanding.
The thickness of a finished film is nearly the thickness of the thin piece itself since only one of the thin pieces is adhered to the adhesive in terms of the technique of the scattering of thin pieces. Therefore, the thickness of a finished film exceeding 1 mm or more is impossible. Since the color of the adhesive need be concealed by the thin pieces, it is necessary to color the thin pieces with a pigment having a concealing force, failing to obtain a color tone of natural granite as intended by the present invention.
Further, this technique poses a disadvantage in that not only the step of execution is complicated but also the indispensable step of operation of the scattering of thin pieces is extremely unsuitable and wasteful for the outdoor execution and the execution relative to the wall surfaces.